Takeaways from the Better Buildings Summit

We weren’t in attendance at the annual Better Buildings Summit held in Washington, DC in late May, but we know folks who were there. This annual conference is generating a fair amount of buzz and online content, so we thought we’d answer some questions, and share some information for your reference.

What is the Better Buildings Summit?

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings website, the Better Buildings Summit is a national meeting where leading organizations showcase solutions to cut energy intensity in their buildings by 20% over the next ten years. The Summit is designed for partners and stakeholders to exchange best practices, and to highlight demonstrated market solutions with an emphasis on discussing future opportunities for greater energy efficiency in America’s homes and buildings.

When and where is it?

This year’s conference was held May 27-29. In 2016, the Summit will be held May 9-11 in Washington, DC. Mark your calendar now!

What do people do there?

At the 2015 Summit, more than 900 participants engaged in dialogue focused on sharing proven approaches for reducing energy intensity in their buildings. Speakers from the commercial, industrial, public, multifamily, residential, and data center sectors shared how they draw on energy efficiency technologies, business practices, and partnerships to save money on utility bills, create new jobs, and improve their organization’s competitiveness.

How can I connect?

Better Buildings has a “Beat Blog,” where you can sign up to keep tabs on related opportunities and events. They produce a bi-monthly newsletter, the Better Buildings Bulletin, focusing on partners, news stories, solutions, webinars, and more. Additional resources can be found in the Better Buildings Newsroom.

There are a host of partnership opportunities described at the Better Buildings website, categorized by market segment: commercial, education, industrial, multifamily, residential, local government, and state government.

More Takeaways?

1. Presentation Library: Check out the Presentations page to view and download content from the Summit participants: 
2. Implementation Models: Need ideas for your next energy management initiative? Here are 77 different implementation models from a variety of market sectors.
3. The Best Practices in Data Access, Tracking, and Analysis session on May 29 was a winner, according to Emily Soontornsaratool, Energy Data Program Manager for the State of Maryland, who presented at the session along with more than a dozen other energy professionals. A PDF document from that session is available.

Emily told us that a primary benefit from the Summit is the networking opportunity, and the connections you establish during the event. So make sure to mark your calendar for the 2016 Summit!

To find out more about what her state is doing on the energy management front, check out our Case Study.

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